At the base of the mountain, Geluofeng suddenly sighed.
Even he had not been informed that Longqinba was hidden amongst the army. It was clear that Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang had long ago laid their plans, and that the youngest son of the Wang Clan had fallen for Dalun Ruozan's scheme.
"His reputation as a wise minister was no vain boast!"
A cold and indifferent voice came from behind him, one that could only belong to Mengshe Zhao Great General Duan Gequan. His voice was as calm as water, and placid as an ancient well. Not even Longqinba's appearance had elicited much emotion from him.
"However, not even a wise minister could have predicted Zhao Wujiang trapping Jiaosiluo!"
"Mm, even without the ambush against Jiaosiluo, Longqinba would still have been seeking an opportunity to ambush the Tang. Dalun Ruozan has never done anything for purely one purpose. It looks like the rumors aren't false."
Geluofeng sighed, but this time, he was using a voice transmission art.
It was no secret that experts at his level could control sound waves to send messages over short distances. It was evident that Geluofeng did not wish for Dalun Ruozan or Huoshu Huicang to overhear his conversation with Duan Gequan.
"Gequan, in the future, when we interact with the Tibetans, especially with Dalun Ruozan, we have to be very careful," Geluofeng said.
"Being allies with them is enough! With one Great Tang, they won't have the time to deal with us," Duan Gequan indifferently remarked.
……
In the middle of the mountain, the situation was looking dire.
"Hurry and protect Milord!"
From the moment Longqinba revealed himself, the Tang soldiers in a radius of several hundred zhang began to move, one square after another beginning to charge toward the leader of the Five Tiger Generals.
Boom!
But before they could get close, a majestic burst of Stellar Energy arose from Longqinba's body. Screaming, the neat formations of the Annan Protectorate army were thrown into the distance, these elite soldiers crashing to the ground with bones broken and muscles torn, their blood spattering the ground.
Longqinba's offensive abilities were far greater than Jiaosiluo's, so the Tang soldiers had far greater injuries than the ones who were attacked by Jiaosiluo.
Bang! After casting aside one formation, Longqinba once more charged toward Zhao Wujiang.
"Halt!"
The worried Xu Shiping immediately lunged toward Longqinba. In the pursuit of Jiaosiluo, he had been the one farthest behind, so he was the first to arrive on the scene.
Zhao Wujiang is currently heavily injured and definitely won't be able to last for long. I have to stop him! Xu Shiping said to himself. He had never once felt so worried.
"Shiping! Careful!"
"Lord Xu, careful!"
"Quickly, protect Lord Xu!"
……
At this very moment, a burst of alarmed shouts came from around him. Xu Shiping was still trying to understand why when a massive energy suddenly began to thunder toward him.
"Not good!"
Before Xu Shiping could react, an iron elbow imbued with a terrifying destructive force smashed into his chest.
"Aaaaah!"
Xu Shiping screamed as half his chest caved in and blood exploded from his mouth.
"Go and die!"
While everyone was watching, Longqinba had suddenly stopped pursuing Zhao Wujiang and turned toward Xu Shiping. His elbow had struck his chest and sent him flying.
"Somebody, catch Milord!"
The Tang soldiers paled in fright as they rushed up to catch Xu Shiping. Luo Ji's eyes reddened as he also rushed to assist.
"Halt!"
Raising his spear, Luo Ji blocked the scimitar that Longqinba was slashing down at Xu Andun. Clang! The clash of scimitar and spear made Luo Ji's hand go numb, and he was forced to retreat seven or eight steps. Meanwhile, Longqinba stood like a towering mountain, coldly sneering at Luo Ji.
This is looking bad!
At this moment, Luo Ji's heart was sinking like a stone.
Longqinba's attacks were even sharper than his and far more powerful. But this was not Luo Ji's greatest worry.
Young Master's formation is broken…
This thought flashed through Luo Ji's mind.
Longqinba was even more cunning and difficult to deal with than Jiaosiluo. Although he had acted like he was aiming for Zhao Wujiang, he had actually been planning to injure Xu Shiping. With Xu Shiping heavily injured, the eight-person joint attack formation was immediately shattered.
And without Wang Chong's Death's Scythe joint attack formation, none of the people present would be able to deal with the head of the Five Tiger Generals.
"Hmph!"
As Longqinba towered above like some demonic god, he stared at Luo Ji and snorted with undisguised contempt in his eyes. Then his body swayed as he began charging up the mountain, ignoring Luo Ji.
"Not good!"
Luo Ji's expression immediately tightened as he began chasing after Longqinba.
"General, I've come to help you!"
At the same time, Xu Andun, Zhang Long, Chen Qiong, Li Zhi, and the others arrived, and the nine of them chased after Longqinba together.
……
Action was taking place in two places, each with its own story.
While Longqinba was chasing after Zhao Wujiang with no one able to stop him, elsewhere, Jiaosiluo was about to reach his horse.
Blood was ceaselessly flowing from his body and his injuries were only growing more severe. That condensed and tyrannical stream of Stellar Energy that Luo Ji had unleashed was still wreaking havoc in his body. But Jiaosiluo was not terribly worried, as the Great Minister had a very close relationship to the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.
In addition, the Great Minister had many secret medicines from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple with him. Just one of them would be enough to staunch his wounds and put him on the path to recovery. Perhaps he would only need a few days to recover fifty to sixty percent of his strength and return to the battlefield.
And perhaps if he asked very kindly, he could obtain one of those divine medicines that would soon have him vigorous and energetic in no time.
The Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple had a long legacy that even surpassed the Ü-Tsang Empire. It had a few top-class medicines with effects that outsiders could never imagine.
Bzzt!
As Jiaosiluo was staggering along, only a few zhang from his warhorse, a figure suddenly appeared. A Mengshe Zhao soldier covered from head to toe in armor had seemingly accidentally blocked his path.
"Get out of my way!"
Jiaosiluo's right hand extended, impatient to push this soldier out of the way. But just when Jiaosiluo was about to push, the Mengshe Zhao soldier suddenly raised their head to glance at Jiaosiluo.
At that moment, Jiaosiluo felt like he had seen a light of dazzling cold in that soldier's eyes. His two hands paused in midair as his heart froze, gripped by the feeling that disaster was about to strike.
……
"Aaaaah!"
On the mountain, Longqinba was doggedly pursuing Zhao Wujiang, hindering the nine other members of that pursuit party and sweeping away everything before him. He had attracted everyone's attention, even causing the lines of the Annan Protectorate army to crumble. Suddenly, however, he heard a scream.
So heartrending was this scream that it gave everyone a fright.
This was not a scream a normal person would give. Only a dying person could make such a scream.
"Jiaosiluo!"
At the base of the mountain, in the middle of a sea of armored cavalry, Dalun Ruozan suddenly paled as he twisted his head toward that scream. He recognized the voice as Jiaosiluo's.
But hadn't he dispatched Longqinba and already saved him?
Moreover, wasn't he already in the middle of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang ranks? Why did he make such a grievous scream?
Dalun Ruoza
n suddenly had an extremely bad feeling.
At almost the same time, in the Mengshe Zhao camp, Geluofeng's strongest subordinate, Great General Duan Gequan, suddenly opened his mouth and declared with a tiny hint of emotion in his voice, "Jiaosiluo is finished!"
Time seemed to stop at this moment.
Finally, everyone noticed where that voice had come from.
Right where the Mengshe Zhao and Tibetan armies intersected, a young 'Mengshe Zhao soldier' had pierced his spear through Jiaosiluo's heart and was now raising aloft his giant figure.
The Swordfanged Beast Jiaosiluo, who had once freely reigned over the southwest battlefield, slaughtering countless Great Tang soldiers, was now a lifeless piece of meat hanging from the spear of a Mengshe Zhao soldier, his hands and feet lightly swaying in the wind.
Killed!
Jiaosiluo had been killed! And killed an inch away from success, mere moments from reaching his steed, by a 'Mengshe Zhao soldier'. But even so, everyone knew that this was no Mengshe Zhao soldier!
"Wang Chong!"
Without any reason, that thin figure and the brash and domineering aura it exuded immediately made Dalun Ruozan think of one person. Dalun Ruozan could only think of one person who, in these circumstances, on the complicated battlefield, could predict Jiaosiluo's path of retreat and successfully kill him at the last moment: Wang Chong!
That Great Tang youth who had caused all the problems for the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army!
Swoosh!
A dark red sword plunged into Jiaosiluo's body, sucking out the last drop of his Stellar Energy. That 'Mengshe Zhao soldier' suddenly swelled in strength, his aura only continuing to grow stronger.
"Ha!"
With a shake of the spear, Jiaosiluo's body was thrown several zhang away like a pile of trash. While the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army was still dumbstruck, that 'Mengshe Zhao soldier' immediately began to charge up the mountain.
"Seize him!"
"Spy!"
He's a Tang!"
"Don't let him escape!"
……
Cries of fury and alarm echoed through the sky as the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers began to roar in their respective languages as they pursued that 'Mengshe Zhao soldier'. In particular, the faces of the Mengshe Zhao soldiers were pale from rage.
A valiant general of Ü-Tsang had actually been killed by a Mengshe Zhao soldier! If this caused a misunderstanding with the Tibetans, it would present a major threat to Mengshe Zhao.
More importantly, a person like Jiaosiluo could never have been killed by some ordinary Mengshe Zhao soldier. This person had to be a Tang!
Chapter 578: The Decisive Battle! Longqinba Retreats!
Chapter 578: The Decisive Battle! Longqinba Retreats!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Jiaosiluo is dead! Duan Wuzong is injured! All generals, hear my order! Ignore Longqinba! Full advance! Wipe out the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army!"
While everyone was chasing that 'Mengshe Zhao soldier', a thunderous voice suddenly exploded through the air.
Everyone was extremely familiar with this voice. It was Wang Chong's.
While the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army might have been indifferent the first time Wang Chong said those words, when he repeated them in the languages of Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao, everything instantly changed.
Boom!
With a startling rumble, the entire Tang army suddenly underwent a transformation. All the Tang formations gave up the pursuit of Longqinba and began charging down the mountain, acting like the leader of the Five Tiger Generals simply did not exist.
"Kiiiill!"
At the same time, the tens of thousands of Tang soldiers stretching from the middle of the mountain to the summit, who had all been following their orders and not participating in the battle, suddenly yelled out and surged down the mountain like a wave.
From the moment Jiaosiluo led his Tibetan soldiers up the mountain, from the moment Longqinba appeared, the nature of this battle had changed. This was no longer some probing offense, but a true battle.
Buzz!
The Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army that had originally been chasing Wang Chong finally began to appear fearful. Even the bravest of these warriors began to show fear in their eyes when they saw the fresh Tang troops rushing down the mountain in a flood of steel.
The voice had been completely correct. Duan Wuzong had left the battlefield with heavy injures while Jiaosiluo had been killed. Meanwhile, the only commander left who could fight and lead the army was Longqinba, who was up the mountain trying to take down Zhao Wujiang.
The Whitestone Corps and the Tibetan army were truly a host of dragons without a leader!
Regardless of Longqinba's initial plan, from the moment he infiltrated the Tang army and ambushed Zhao Wujiang, he had taken leave of his own troops.
Longqinba's existence was currently unrelated to the state of the army!
"Damn it!"
In the roiling tide of troops, Longqinba's figure was like that of a fierce beast, his domineering aura inspiring dread. But when he saw that tide of steel howling down the mountain, Longqinba couldn't help but pale as a hint of apprehension entered his heart.
A sufficient number of ants could even kill an elephant. In the current situation, no matter how strong he was, he would soon end up too deep in the enemy ranks. Once figures like Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan appeared, it would be too late to retreat.
Although Wang Chong had said to ignore Longqinba, this order actually made Longqinba even more fearful.
"Hmph, no matter what, I'll think about what to do after killing Zhao Wujiang!"
Longqinba's expression hardened as he made his decision. No matter what decision the Great Tang made, he first had to kill Zhao Wujiang. With Jiaosiluo dead, Zhao Wujiang also had to die.
Besides, he had suffered heavy injuries and wasn't far from death!
Bzzt!
Longqinba brought his palms together. Clangclangclang! There was a series of deafening metal clanks as if gears were coming to life. A massive ten-armed bodhisattva of dark golden hue manifested behind Longqinba. Its ten arms unfurled like ten sharp swords, appearing like some sort of metallic sun in the air.
At the same time, a massive grinding came from beneath Longqinba's feet. With the support of a massive black Halo of Thorns, Longqinba became as strong as a demonic god.
Boom!
Longqinba swayed before he suddenly swept forward like a black gale.
Rumble! Wild winds brashly swept over the mountain, and powerful waves of energy swept aside Luo Ji, Xu Andun, the Black Dragon Bandit elites, and the surrounding Annan Protectorate army soldiers.
Longqinba's strength was now at a truly stupefying level!
Clang!
A cold light flashed through the air as Longqinba leaped forward, the scimitar in his hand leaving a long scar through the air as it hurtled toward Zhao Wujiang ten-some zhang away.
So fierce was this scimitar that it immediately stirred a fierce wind and seemed ready to tear open the skies.
Longqinba's ambush and the injury Zhao Wujiang had received from baiting Jiaosiluo left him utterly drained of Stellar Energy and unable to dodge.
Just when Zhao Wujiang was about to die to Longqinba's scimitar…
Boom!
There was a glint of light as a sword infused with Stellar Energy smashed against Longqinba's scimitar. The force of this collision sent the wielder of this sword flying back along with his sword. However, Longqinba's certain-kill strike had been thrown off course.
Crash!
Hitting the ground, the muscular figure of an Annan Protectorate army general staggered back a few steps, his chest heaving. It appeared that he had come off much worse in this clash.
"Lin Wushou!" Luo Ji yelped in surprise, an elated look on his face as he charged forward with Xu Andun and the rest of the Black Dragon Bandit elites. Together with the high-ranking general Lin Wushou, they opposed Longqinba.
"Hmph, it's useless. You lot aren't enough to stop me!"
Longqinba's eyes flashed with a fierce light as a majestic Stellar Energy began to roil through his body like a storm. He didn't have much time left, but it was enough time to kill these few people.
In a flash, just when Longqinba was about to commence a mass slaughter, a voice suddenly rang out. "Luo Ji, Xu Andun, Zhang Hu, attack his right rib together! Lin Wushou, an annihilating strike two inches to the left of the Baihui point on his head!!"
Luo Ji was the first to respond. Boom! The halo under Luo Ji's feet flashed as the thick silver spear left his hand and instantly arrived at Longqinba's right rib.
Lin Wushou reacted right after. With a rumble, a light stabbed straight toward Longqinba's head.
"Milord!"
"Young Master!"
……
The last to react were Xu Andun and the Black Dragon Bandit elites as they finally recognized Wang Chong's voice. Clangclangclang! The seven people immediately shot forward, the Wootz Steel weapons in their hands slashing toward the muscular figure of Longqinba.
And behind these seven was the final attacker: Wang Chong.
Clang! A stream of light zigzagged through the crowd. Before anyone could react, Wang Chong had come with his sword, using his most powerful technique.
"Leaping Dragon Art!"
A massive flood dragon seemed to coil up into the air. Upon reaching a certain height, it suddenly streaked down like a bolt of lightning, crackling down over Longqinba's head.
Boom!
There was a heaven-shaking boom as Luo Ji's spear, Lin Wushou's sword, Wang Chong's Leaping Dragon Art, and the combined attacks of Xu Andun and the Black Dragon elites were all stopped by an invisible barrier.
In a split second, a majestic and hardy wall of Stellar Energy had expanded out of Longqinba's body.
Hiss!
A chorus of gasps came from the surrounding area as all the Annan Protectorate army soldiers who witnessed this sight felt a shiver run down their backs. Longqinba's reserves of Stellar Energy had reached an unthinkable level.
Although he didn't have a sturdy transformation like Jiaosiluo's Swordfanged Beast, he had been able to rely on his vigorous reserves of Stellar Energy to achieve a similar result.
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